The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge isn't officially over until October 28. But a winner has already been declared -- Dutch team Nuon Solar, with an average time of 90.7 kmph over 3000 km. That's not exactly unexpected news, since Nuon won the previous three WSC races.

More shocking is the fact that two solar cars from the United States have crashed, including the University of Michigan's much-hyped and extremely well-funded Continuum. After what the Stanford solar team described on its blog as a "hectic" race start, with solar cars launched into the race with only a minute between each start, and caravans scrambling to catch up (each car has to be accompanied by a lead vehicle and chase vehicle), U-M's car collided with its own lead vehicle. U-M blames an abrupt stop by the Stanford team for the accident, but whatever the cause, Continuum suffered significant damage to its canopy and front solar modules. According the U-M, the car's driver received a scratch to this leg.

Initial news reports claimed that U-M was out of the race, but after 24 hours of repairs, Continuum was back on the road. The team eventually finished 7th in its class--disappointing, but better than Stanford. During day 4 of the race, the left rear tire of Stanford's Equinox blew out, and the car flipped over, crashing into a concrete barrier. The driver wasn't injured, and although Equinox was still able to drive under its own power, the team decided it wasn't no longer safe enough for the open road. Features that were in place to protect the driver, such as a roll cage, had apparently done their job, but were irreparably damaged by the crash. Equinox will be transported to the final stop in Adelaide, but Stanford is no longer in the race.